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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22608154">Welcome Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaraine/pseuds/anaraine'>anaraine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Gundam Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, M/M, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:53:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,643</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22608154</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaraine/pseuds/anaraine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The price of peace included rules and red tape, but Duo was willing to pay it if it meant getting to return to a home and a partner.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chang Wufei/Duo Maxwell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Chocolate Box - Round 5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Welcome Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kameiko/gifts">Kameiko</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Duo wanted a mint. Or if not a mint, one of those little cinnamon candies that could burn your mouth if you sucked on it too hard. His mouth tasted stale and he hadn't had anything to drink in hours.</p><p>Christ, he missed it when he wasn't beholden to someone else's schedule. He didn't miss everything else, but being able sit in a pilot's seat and fly wherever he wanted without having to pass through a spaceport or security was a freedom he still wanted dearly. But that was the price of peace, he supposed. Rules and red tape that came up to your eyeballs.</p><p>So he waited as the line shuffled forward like a funeral dirge: slowly and with purpose. His fellow shuttle passengers ran the gamut from exhausted to antsy, half-asleep on their feet or anxiously twiddling with their luggage while their eyes flicked from the arrivals terminal to the silent vidscreens showing the midnight news.</p><p>There was a buzz underneath his skin that indicated he'd been awake for too long, but he ignored it with long practice and set to entertaining himself by creating elaborate backstories for the people around him. He was starting to get a little fond of the brown-haired girl who had sat herself upside down in one of the stiff waiting chairs, her knees twisted over the backrest and her head a few inches from the floor - her contortionism had him placing her as an aspiring circus performer who was going to run away from her aghast parents the second she had a chance.</p><p>It was a relief to finally be ushered through the security checkpoint, his Preventers badge cutting the questions in half as they verified who he was and why he was on a public shuttle. (Damn the obnoxious regulations that kept him from personally fixing the earthbound Preventers shuttle on L2. He would have had that baby up and running quicker than any technician stationed at L2's HQ, as evidenced by the fact that it had been out of commission for the past <em>month</em> and it had looked no better when he left than it had when he arrived.) The air outside the spaceport smelled of burnt fuel despite the local air scrubbers, but in direct opposition to those who covered their noses until they cleared the area, Duo breathed it in deeply as he hunted down the car that should have been left for him.</p><p>Miracle of miracles, a Preventers vehicle <em>was</em> waiting in the short term parking lot and a key was waiting with the lot attendant. Duo tossed his duffle into the passenger seat and smiled like a fiend when he saw the sealed energy drink sitting in the cupholder, his name written in a familiar hand along the side.</p><p>A cautious man might have taken a nap before driving home, but Duo knew the second he let himself he was going to crash and crash <em>hard</em>. He wanted to be home before that. The energy drink was tepid, having sat in a car for who knows how long, but it did the job in renewing his flagging energy, and Duo pulled out of the parking lot with a smile. (Said smile might have scared children or terrified anyone who knew him, but since he was driving alone he felt no reason to curb his manic grin.)</p><p>It was closing in on three in the morning by the time he reached his apartment. He was yawning wide enough to crack his jaw, the last ten minutes of his drive a careful exercise in keeping his eyes open, but his skin still buzzed with unspent energy. He probably shouldn't have drank the entire can of Star Fuel, but it was his favorite energy drink for a reason. It tasted like an orange soda instead of sugared battery acid, which made it very easy to finish despite knowing that he'd wake up with a mild case of caffeine withdrawal. But that was a problem for tomorrow's Duo, who could cuss out today's Duo as much as he wanted so long as he found somewhere to sleep.</p><p>Duo unlocked the front door and closed it behind him, throwing the deadbolt and wishing again that he could install some sort of fingerprint or retinal scanner without getting chewed out by the landlord. He stood in the foyer for a long minute before remembering that his bed was less twenty feet away and it would be much more comfortable than falling asleep on cold tile. Duo tugged at the laces of his boots just enough to slip his feet free, leaving his duffle at the door as he made a b-line for his bed.</p><p>Only to stop short at the faint glow of a table lamp that illuminated his living room just enough to halo the man sitting on his couch.</p><p>Or, well. Sleeping on his couch.</p><p>Wufei's posture was sloppy and lax, his reading glasses a few millimeters from falling off his nose and a book open in the cradle of his crossed legs. There was a teapot on the side table, along with a cup that was only half-full, and a quick sniff of the air stirred a faint smell of jasmine.</p><p>"Aw, 'Fei," Duo said softly, his mouth curving into a faint smile. Jasmine was one of his 'I'm definitely not worrying' teas. He'd probably been here since he'd gotten off work.</p><p>Duo's smile slowly turned into a frown as he considered that some more. His couch was comfortable, but neither of them were teenagers anymore. Sacking out wherever led to aches and pains and general crankiness.</p><p>"Come'on, 'Fei," Duo said a little louder. "I'm home. Let's go to bed."</p><p>Wufei continued sleeping, his chest rising and falling in a way that was almost hypnotizing. Duo could just snag one of those pillows and— he shook his head roughly to clear his thoughts. He was <em>not</em> going to fall asleep here when his bed was so close and his partner was even closer.</p><p>Sighing, Duo stepped up into Wufei's space and brushed his loose hair aside to put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't have enough time to give him a little shake before Wufei's hand snapped up, holding Duo's wrist with a grip hard enough to bruise.</p><p>"Hey, sleepyhead," Duo teased, keeping his voice light and warm while Wufei's subconscious finished deciding if he was friend or foe. "Why didn't you go to bed?"</p><p>"I was waiting—" Wufei said slowly, his eyes fuzzy with lingering sleep before he finally focused on who was in front of him. "Duo!"</p><p>"That's me," Duo confirmed. He was mildly amused that Wufei hadn't let go of his wrist yet and wondered how long it would take him to notice.</p><p>"Your shuttle was supposed to be in by ten," Wufei said, glancing over his shoulder at the clock and frowning.</p><p>Duo snorted. "Shuttles from L2 are never on time. Especially public shuttles. I'm thinking about getting a technician's license so I can fix the damn Preventers shuttle myself if they send me up there again. You think Une would go for it?"</p><p>Wufei scrunched up his nose as he considered. As much as Duo delighted in the picture he made, the lack of cool poise also told him how tired Wufei was. "She'd call it a waste of your talents, but it'd be useful in case of emergencies. You could probably make a case for it; I doubt it would take you long to pass the qualifying exams."</p><p>"That's pretty much what I was thinking, too," Duo agreed. "I'll start bugging her about it tomorrow."</p><p>"Monday," Wufei corrected. "We're off for the next three days."</p><p>Duo lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "What, really?"</p><p>"We have enough leave, and I haven't seen you in a month."</p><p>Duo felt like laughing at the look on Wufei's face, but could only manage an amused huff. "I missed you too."</p><p>"I never said—"</p><p>"I can tell," Duo cut him off and tugged his arm to pull Wufei up. It finally brought Wufei's attention to his hand and he released Duo's wrist with a faint sound of displeasure. Duo wasn't in the mood for an apology when he knew exactly why it happened, so he moved to press a hard, closemouthed kiss against Wufei's lips. He wasn't up for anything more considering the taste of his own mouth. "Come'on. Bed. If you want to start sleeping on couches you'd better get Quatre to buy some fancy ergonomic one that won't make us feel like death when we get up."</p><p>Wufei eyed him critically. "You're going to regret not taking a shower. You still smell like the shuttle."</p><p>"That is a problem for tomorrow's Duo. A lot of things are a problem for tomorrow's Duo. Today's Duo is going to crash on his bed, preferably with a body heater."</p><p>"It's already tomorrow."</p><p>"Bzzt. Wrong. It is only tomorrow after I go to sleep today. You coming or not, Chang?"</p><p>"As long as you put on something else to sleep in."</p><p>Duo considered that carefully, but decided the effort of changing clothes would be worth having Wufei in bed beside him. "Deal," he said, moving to dig a worn pair of sweatpants out of his dresser.</p><p>By the time he'd changed, Wufei was sitting in his bed, brandishing a small bottle of mouthwash and an empty glass. "You're going to regret it if you don't," Wufei said.</p><p>"Tomorrow's Duo is going to regret a lot of things," Duo agreed, though he used the mouthwash all the same.</p><p>"I'm glad you're home," Wufei said quietly into the dark of the room, after they had both settled into a pile of crossing limbs.</p><p>Duo sighed and nudged Wufei's shoulder with his nose as that last little bit of tension fled his body. "Me too."</p>
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